Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Visiting The Dry Garden

In early December I made a quick trip down to Berkeley, CA, for a Pacific Horticulture Society board meeting. I arrived a little early and had some time to kill, and since The Dry Garden was only six or so blocks away it was an easy walking destination....

This was my second visit to this nursery, the first was back in 2014. Yucca rostrata, "only" $875...

Even though our winter here in Portland had been remarkably mild, it was still heavenly to be walking around a sunny, warm, nursery on December 7th. (past tense alert, note I said "had been" currently things are not so mild, winter has decided to make an appearance at the beginning of February and there's snow out there in the garden this morning).

Trevesia palmata, the snowflake aralia.

Aloidendron ramosissimum, formerly Aloe ramosissima

New growth on a Cycad in December...

The Bromeliads!

There were several I lusted after, but that guy in the middle, with the orange frame, he's the one I bought. Quesnelia marmorata 'Tim Plowman'...I'd not seen one "in real life" before and jumped at the opportunity, even though he was a little pale. Turns out the biggest of the plants in the pot had bloomed, but the offsets that I potted up are already looking great (with exaggerated curls!)

There was an Agave attenuata for every one!

I didn't notice while I was taking this shot, but love how the street tree ended up being the face's hair.

Since I was flying with only a carry on the one Bromeliad purchase was all I dared make, but that didn't stop me from dreaming.

I can't imagine being able to grow Anigozanthos outdoors, year round.

The same goes for Bougainvillea.

That's a lot of Aeoniums!

Agave titanota

Agave parrasana 'Fireball'

Agave 'Sun Glow'

Hmmm, didn't get this one's name, still, I should know what it is, but...

Everybody loves The Dry Garden

Aloe peglerae

Cussonia

Little guys in the greenhouse...

Phylica pubescens

And one last photo, Sonchus canariensis, I bought one if these when I visited in 2014 and still have it. I do wish I were able to visit this place more often.

Weather Diary, Feb 4: Hi 38, Low 30/ Precip 1" snow (some of which fell after midnight but I'm lumping it together)

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

23 comments:

  1. "Yucca rostrata, "only" $875"... even if it was buy-one-get-one free it would be hugely pricey. Maybe we could get an update photo of the bromeliad you bought, 'Tim Plowman'; should it be fondly nickname it curlycue?

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    1. Ya, that "only" was meant as sarcasm. Bay area prices are a little higher than I'm used to. I'll definitely post a curlycue update sometime soon.

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  2. Is that last photo a fern? Or just a fern lookalike? The name is unfamiliar to me but then most names of your plants don't roll easily off my tongue!

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    1. One of it's common names is tree dandelion, if that helps. Not a fern, and not hardy here in Portland, it's in a container.

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  3. Thank you for taking us along for a visit to the nursery. I've been considering purchasing another large Y. rostrata but not an close to $900. one.

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  4. What a fun place! So many beautiful Agaves. Have you ever overwintered a kangaroo paw? I bought one last year which flowered like mad all summer but then died as soon as I brought it into the greenhouse. I have lots of snow this morning, and my morning low was 17. Bah, humbug on snow.

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    1. I have, but only a couple of times and they never bloom as well the second year. I just treat them like annuals now. And yes, bah humbug on this return to winter thing.

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  5. Now I want to revisit the Dry Garden even more. It's been YEARS for me, and it's only a little over an hour away. But it's in the Bay Area, the land of horrendous traffic.

    My Tim Plowman' has been remarkably hardy. It's been outside all winter, without any apparent ill effects. I'm glad you found one to take home!

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    1. The leaves on Tim are so thick and sturdy, I have no trouble believing it's pretty hardy. Does yours have much in the way of spotting on the leaves? Mine's pretty pale, I'm hoping over the summer it will get some color.

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  6. Bougainvilleas grow huge in my area, they bloom almost year round. Anigozanthos are practically indestructible plants here,people plant them in the sunniest, hottest spots because of their hardiness.

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  7. A little California Dreamin' on such a winter's day is perfect. So many fab plants that are hardy there, it's like living in a greenhouse. When are we moving?

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    1. Cactus Jungle is way more expensive than Dry Garden. I think the prices at The Dry Garden are more reasonable than most of the other nurseries in the Bay Area. Also, they often have hard to find plants, and have at least 4 20% off sales a year.
      Sorry for your snow.

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  8. The Dry Garden is a funky, fun place to visit with a nice variety of plants. I especially like the old gas station structure - looks almost Art Deco in style. My only complaint is that the prices seemed a tad on the high side. Cactus Jungle in Berkeley has a similar dynamic - tho still fun to visit.

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    1. Ya, they're both on the pricey side, but fun to visit!

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  9. Love the evil sun on their signage...suns are usually all smiley.
    rickii

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    1. I love that you noticed that. It's up to something, that sun.

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  10. Nice selection of plants - hope they aren't all as pricey as the Yucca rostrata!

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    1. No, but still a little high. It's a curated collection!

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  11. 'Fireball' AND 'Snow Glow'! How I wish the buyers in my local garden centers were as astute in selecting plants for sale. I hope your 'Tim Plowman' is doing well. The blankety-blank raccoons dug up my plant (2x!). I think I need to move it to a pot for safekeeping.

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